The Washington area has gotten off to a deadly start in 2011, including three separate slayings Tuesday morning in Prince George’s County and a stabbing at a Bethesda hospital. “Not the way we wanted to start out the new year,” said Prince George’s County police Cpl. Clinton Copeland.

The rash of lethal violence comes as the two jurisdictions that drive the area’s homicide numbers each year — the District and Prince George’s County — reported decreases in homicides in 2010. D.C. reported the lowest number of killings in the nation’s capital since 1963.